Chicken curry: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox prepared food

| caption          = A curry chicken from [[Maharashtra]] with rice flour [[chapati]]s

| region          = Indian subcontinent, [[Southeast Asia]], and [[Caribbean]]

'''Chicken curry''' is a dish originating from the [[Indian subcontinent]]. It is common in the [[cuisine of the Indian subcontinent|Indian subcontinent]], [[cuisine of Southeast Asia|Southeast Asia]], [[British cuisine|Great Britain]], and the [[cuisine of the Caribbean|Caribbean]]. A typical curry from the Indian subcontinent consists of [[chicken as food|chicken]] [[stewed]] in an [[onion]]- and [[tomato]]-based sauce, flavoured with [[ginger]], [[garlic]], [[tomato puree]], [[chilli pepper]]s and a variety of spices, often including [[turmeric]], [[cumin]], [[coriander]], [[cinnamon]], and [[cardamom]]. Outside of South Asia, curry chicken is often made with a pre-made spice mixture known as [[curry powder]].

IndianChickenCurry.jpg|A pot of [[Punjab|Punjabi]]-style chicken curry

Indian cuisine has a large amount of regional variation, with many variations on the basic chicken curry recipe. Indian chicken curry typically starts with whole spices, heated in oil. A sauce is then made with onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, and powdered spices. Bone-in pieces of chicken are then added to the sauce, and simmered until cooked through.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRovp9c9e-4 |title=Quick and Easy Chicken Curry |author=Sanjeev Kapoor's Khazana |access-date=10 May 2013}}</ref> In south India, [[coconut]] and [[curry leaves]] are also common ingredients.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vahrehvah.com/Grandma+Chicken+curry:4263 |title=Grandma's Curry chicken |author=Sanjay Thumma |access-date=10 May 2013}}</ref> Chicken curry is usually garnished with coriander leaves, and served with rice or [[roti]].  

This dish was introduced to the [[Caribbean]] by [[Indian indenture system|indentured]] [[Indo-Caribbean|Indian]] [[Girmityas|girmitya]] workers. At that time, the dish was very similar to the chicken curry dish of [[India]], consisting mostly of sauce with few chicken pieces. However, poultry in [[Trinidad and Tobago]] was so readily available, the dish began consisting of mainly chicken, flavored with curry spices. Typical preparation include washing and then seasoning and marinating the chicken meat in a green seasoning consisting of [[Eryngium foetidum|bandhania]], [[Coriander|dhania]], [[Coleus amboinicus|pudina]], [[thyme]], [[Scallion|scallion]], onion, garlic, and peppers. Then the curry is prepared by first adding oil to the pot and then adding the [[Panch phoron|phoran]], which in the Caribbean consist of cut-up onions, peppers, and tomatoes and garlic paste (some add ginger too). Some may also add [[Fennel|saunf]], [[Cumin|jeera]] and [[Fenugreek|meethi]] seeds along with the phoran. Then Madras [[Curry powder|curry powder]] (some also additionally add [[Garam masala|garam masala]] or any other [[Spice mix#Masala|masala]] they wish), mixed with water and green seasoning is added to the pot and fried up with the phoran in the oil, in a process known as ''bunjay'' or ''bujna''. Then the marinated chicken is added to the pot and salt, black pepper, and sometimes roasted jeera powder is added. At this point [[Potato|aloo]], pigeon peas, [[Chickpeas|channa]], or [[Eggplant|baigan]] is sometimes added. Then it is left to cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Aftewards, water (some additionally add [[Coconut milk|coconut milk]]) is added to make the ''soorwah'' or sauce/gravy and it is brought to a boil on lower to medium heat for 5-10 minutes. It is usually served with [[Paratha|paratha]] or dalpuri roti or with [[Dal bhat|dal bhat]] ([[Dal|dal]] and rice).<ref>https://cookingwithria.com/2011/12/trinidad-curry-chicken.html</ref> Curry chicken and its derivatives are also popular in [[Suriname]], [[Guyana]], [[Jamaica]], and other [[Caribbean]] territories with [[Indo-Caribbean|Indian and South Asian]] influence.

In southeast Asia, where [[coconut]]s, [[coconut milk]] extraction, and various spices originated, various native dishes made with coconut milk or flavor pastes and eaten with rice are often referred to as "curry" in English, even though they did not originate from India. Examples of these include Thai ''[[gaeng|gaeng gai]]'' and Filipino ''[[ginataang manok]]''.<ref name="Van Esterik">{{cite book |last1=Van Esterik |first1=Penny |title=Food Culture in Southeast Asia |date=2008 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9780313344206 |pages=58–59}}</ref> Chicken curries feature prominently in the repertoire of [[Burmese curry|Burmese curries]] and in Burmese ''[[ohn no khao swè]]'', a noodle soup of coconut milk and curried chicken.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Marks|first=Copeland|url=|title=The Burmese Kitchen: Recipes from the Golden Land|last2=Thein|first2=Aung|date=1994-09-08|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=|isbn=978-1-59077-260-7|location=|pages=|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Aye|first=MiMi|url=|title=Mandalay: Recipes and Tales from a Burmese Kitchen|date=2019-06-13|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=|isbn=978-1-4729-5948-5|location=|pages=|language=en}}</ref>

However, derivatives of Indian chicken curry may be distinguished because they are relatively modern and are made with curry powder, [[curry tree]] leaves, or other Indian spices, like the [[Filipino chicken curry]] and the Malaysian chicken curry, although they still use ingredients native to southeast Asia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Filipino Style Chicken Curry |url=https://www.nyonyacooking.com/recipes/malaysian-curry-chicken~H1WxdDjvz9-m |website=Panlasang Pinoy |access-date=16 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Malaysian Curry Chicken |url=https://panlasangpinoy.com/filipino-style-chicken-curry-knr-mm/ |website=Nyonya Cooking |access-date=16 November 2019}}</ref>

This dish dates back to the early 1800s.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}} A [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] sea captain stationed in Bengal, India, shared the recipe for this dish with some friends at the major shipping port in [[Savannah, Georgia]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}